Store-service apparatus and the like.



W. C. WRIGHT STORE SERVICE APPARATUS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-26, I914.

Patented June 8, 1915.

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Rim/"nay THE NORRIS PETERS CD., PHOTKLLITHO.I WASHINGTON. u \4.

UNITED STATES PATENT onr ron,

WALTER C. WRIGHT, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSON COMPANY,015 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 8, 1915.

Application filed January 26, 1914. Serial No. 814,264.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, WALTER O. WRIGHT,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county ofFulton and State cash, since merchandise, papers, etc., may be conveyedand delivered thereby with facility; and further while the preferredconstruction is in the nature of a lift, certain features of myinvention, hereinafter referred to, are broadly applicable to storeservice and like apparatus generally.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a novel means foreffecting the movement of a carriage along a determinedpath to acertainpoint and then to automatically unload said carriage.

A further object has been to so arrange carrier conveying means as topermit of the despatch of a loadedcarrier from a station at one level toa second station at a preferably, although not necessarily, higher orlower level and to there positively eject or thrust said carrier fromthe conveying means.

These and other objects of my invention will be hereinafter referred toand the novel combinations of means and elements where by said objectsmay be attained will bemore especially set forth in the claims appendedhereto. i

In the drawing which forms apart hereof and in which likereference'characters designate "like parts throughout 'therespective views, I haveexemplified a preferred construction and'application of my" invention;

. but as'Ia'm aware of various changes and modifications herein whichmaybe made Withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, I desire"to be'limitedjonly by'th'e scope of said claims broadly considered inthe light'of'my disclosure;

'Referring'to said drawing: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a cash liftapparatus.

Fig. 2 is a'side'elevation of'said apparatus;

and Fig. 3 is a perspective detail View of the cash purse or carriercarriage elsewhere shown at the bottom of Figs. 1 and2.

The apparatus given by way ofexemplification comprises a track orguide-way, preferably of taut wires 1, which are connected attheir'upper ends to a suitable bracket 2, which may be fastened to theceiling of, for example, a balcony of a department store. The cashiersdesk 3 may be located upon this balcony, while in the present case theclerks station-or desk 4 is at a lower level and preferably directlybeneath; and a suitable aperture is provided through the floor of thebalcony through which the track-way extends.

The wires 1 are fastened at their'lower extremities to a U-shaped rod orbracket ,5 by means of tension adjusting bolts 6. Upon said wires ispreferably, although obviously not necessarily, slidably mounted acarriage orffra'me 7; the wires extending through lugs or eyes 8 uponthe sides of said frame. V

N Vhen the carriage is in its lowermost posit1on 1ts lower lugs 8 are inengagement with spring bufi'ers 9, the springs; of which are disposedaround the lower ends of the guide w1res.; A plate 10 below thesesprings serves to space the wires properly at'the bottomv and at'the topis a bumper plate 11 which to some measure serves a similar purpose butwhich also acts as a stop for the carriage at the end of its upwardtravel." Plate 10 is to collars 13'; the latter being adjustable uponthe track Wires and'adapted to be setscrewed thereto. v The carriage is'elevatedor propelled by a cord 14, or some equivalent propelling means;cord 14 extending up from the frame 7, to which it isconnected, aroundidlers and pulleys 15, 16,17, 18 and 19; the two latter being mounted ina weighted block 20, to which is attached a cord 21. The pulleys arepreferably so disposed as to multiply the movement of cord 21,'so thatin the present case, a downward movement ofthe latter of, let us say,three feet, elevates the carriage twelve feet. The block 20 'hassuificient weight to. nearlybut preferably not' quite counterbalance theweight ofvthe carriage.

supported by springs 12 which are attached QWithin-the carriage 7 is aspring'clip 22 which is adapted'to-receive' and hold the 7 coinlpurse orcarrier 23. The 'latter in the i of leather or the like. Transverselypivoted in frame 7, above the clip 22, is a kick-off device 2%, mountedon a rod 25, upon which, preferably, also is disposed a spring 25 whichas shown in Fig. 3, normally tends to hold the kick-off or pusher 24 ina determined position; a stop 26 limiting the clock-wise movement of thepusher.

At the upper station, in the apparatus given by way of exemplification,is a bent rod 2 7 which constitutes the preferred means for actuatingthe pusher at the upper station; the latter having a preferably weightedarm 2d adapted to engage the horizontal middle portion of rod'27 whenthe carriage is substantially at its uppermost position.

In front of the carriage and in position to receive the carrier or pursewhen the latter is dislodged therefrom is a tray or repository 28,although the desk 3 itself may constitute this repository. A similartray 28 for thereception of carriers may be conveniently mounted uponbracket 5 or otherwise at desk 4.

The operation'of the device is as follows: The loaded carrier isthrust-into the spring clip or holder 22 by the operative at the lowerstation,who then pulls cord 21 which rapidlyelevates the traveling frameor-carriage until the latter is resiliently stopped by the bumper 11.The aperture through the floor of the balcony and, if desk 3 be ofsufficient extent to surround said aperture, through said desk also, ismade of such size as to permit the free passage of not only the carriageand carrier but also of the extended arm 24 of the carrier thrust orkick-off device. The latter device hence remainsinactive untilits-operating arm or part engages'the actuating means therefor, 71. e.the bar 27; whereupon the kick-off is swung counter-clockwise, asviewed, in Fig. 3 or clockwiseasper Fig. 2, to positively eject thecarrier from'its frame into or upon its repository as indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 2. When the cord 21 is released the weight ofthecarriage returns it to the lower level. If, however, an. operative atthe upper station desires to despatchacarrier to the lower station, theweight20 or cord '21 can be conveniently grasped and pulleddown,-whereby to re'elevate the carrier supporting frame. In such casethe latter should not be raised sufficiently high to cause its kick-offmechanism to interfere with the insertion of a carrier into clip 22, andof course as soon. as the 'cord or frame is released the frame and itscarrier burden drop by gravity to the lower station. Here the'carriermaybe removed b'yhand or if the force ;of impact 7 of the frame against thebulfer'be considerable, as when there is provided sufiicient excess ofweight of the carriage .over its counter-weight 20 andthe kicker to itsnormal position.

carriage is allowed to fall relatively free for at least the lastportion of its downward travel, the weighted arm 24 will possesssuflicient momentum to kick or push the car rier from its clip into thereceptacle 28; whereupon the spring 25' will return the Separatetravs'29 for the storage of empty carriers may also be provided toprevent loaded carriers being overlooked by becoming mixed with emptycarriers at a given station.

It will thus be seen that Ihave provided means for automaticallyunloading a coin receptacle or other carrier or article from asupporting frame or carriage at determined points in the line of travelof said carriage; that at one station such means are actuated positivelyWhile at another station the momentum of a moving part is utilized forunloading purposes; and that, ifdesired, the unloading means may be, ineffect, common to both of said stations and may furthermore be carriedby the carriage or traveler itself.

By the term traveler as used inthe claims I contemplate anydeviceadapted to travel along an extended way, such as is commonly provided inconveying apparatus, which may be properly so called; said devicefurther to be adapted for the conveyance of articles such as areconveyed by store service and like elevating or conveying apparatus.

Having thus describedmy invention what I claimis:

1. Conveying apparatus comprising a way, two stations along said way, atraveler to move guidedly along said way, said traveler havingprovisions for supporting an article to be conveyed from one to theother of said stations,means to'propel said traveler, and pivoted meansto automatically kick said article out of said traveler at either ofsaid stations, according to which it is traveling toward.

2. Conveying V apparatus comprising a way, two stations alongsaidway, atraveler to move guidedly along: said way, said traveler havingprovisions for supporting an article to be conveyed from the first tothe second of said stations, means-to propel said traveler,and'kickingmeans, a portion of which issmountedformovement at an angletothelineof'travel of said traveler at said second station,forautomaticrilly abruptly tossingsaid article out aandcleanof saidtraveler at said 4 second station.

Conveying apparatus comprising a way, two=stationsi along saidzway, atraveler to move-guidedly; alongsaid way, said traveler havingprovisions for supporting an article to ;be;;conv,eyed from the-first tothe secOifldx of said stations means to propel said traveler, anfd;;kickin,g means {for forcibly sliding saidarticle outof saidtravelerside 5. Store service apparatus comprising a.

way, a traveler to travel thereon, said traveler having resilient meansto retain an article in position thereon, means to propel said traveleralong said way, and means to automatically eject said article from saidresilient means when said traveler reaches a determined point in itstravel along said Way, said ejecting means including a kickoff deviceand substantially stationary means at said determined point foractuating said device.-

.6. Conveying apparatus comprising a way, a traveler to travel eitherwaythereon, said traveler adapted to retain an article in positiontherein, means to propel said traveler along said way, and means toautomatically unload said travelerat one of two determined points insaid way according to the direction of its travel along said Way, saidunloading means includingan operating part disposed substantially at oneof said points and adapted for engagement with a part carried by saidtraveler to .unload the latter at said last mentioned point, saidunloading means also having provisions for unloading said traveler atthe other of said points by the momentum of a part thereof resultingfrom the movement of the traveler.

7 Conveying apparatus comprising a way, a traveler adapted tosupportanarticle andto travel in either direction along said way, meansto propel said traveler along said way, and apivotally mounted parthaving a weighted portion to unload said traveler by the action of themomentum of said weighted portion resulting from a movement of saidtraveler, said weighted portion being adapted by its said momentum torotate the pivotally mounted part about its pivotal axis.

8. Conveying apparatus comprising a way, a traveler adapted to supportan article and to travel in either direction along said way, means topropel said traveler along said way, an ejecting part to unload saidtraveler laterally with respect to said way, by the action of momentumresulting from a movement of said traveler, and a Weight to actuate saidpart by said momentum.

9. Conveying appara vfi f V a:

way, a traveler adapted to support an article and to travel'in eitherdirection along said way, means to propel said traveler I along saidway, an ejecting part to unload said traveler by the action of momentumresulting from a movement of said traveler in one of said directions,aweight to actuate said part by said momentum, and separate means toco-act with said partto unload said travelerwhen the latter is travelingin the opposite direction.

10. Cash lift apparatus comprisinga vertical way, a light carriage totravel up and down on said way, said carriage adapted to carry anarticle to be conveyed, manually operated means to hoist said carriage,bumpers forsaid carriage at each end ofits path of travel, and means toautomatically unload said carriage at the respective ends of its saidpath.

ll. Conveying apparatus comprising a 7 way, a travelerto travel thereonand adapted to carryan article to be conveyed, means to propel saidtraveler along "said way, and momentum actuated means to unload saidarticle from said traveler laterally with respect to its path of travel.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature, inthe presence of twowitnesses.

WALTER C. WRIGHT,

Witnesses: I f

FLETCHER N. MULLIN, J NO. H.- MULLIN.'

Washington, ID. 03 I Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the commissionerof Patents.

